Clinks Light Lunch | Issue 617 | 17th January 2020

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In this week's edition...

CLINKS BLOG: what services do you provide?

This is the second instalment in a series of blogs to help our members and stakeholders digest the key findings of The State of the sector 2019. In this blog, Policy Officer Lauren Nickolls takes a closer look at the services being delivered by the sector. This year’s research found that the sector’s top three primary areas of work are: attitudes, thinking and behaviour, emotional support and education/training/learning. We also found that the majority of organisations are expanding their services, despite uncertainty for the sector and difficulty in securing sustainable funding. Each blog in this series focuses on a key area within our report, including: service users; service delivery; staff and volunteers; and funding. Read here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: kindness, hope and compassion

Khulisa is curating responses to the question “What role do kindness, hope and compassion play in the criminal justice system?” for the fourth book in the Monument Fellowship series. Whether you’d like to write an essay, a poem, share some artwork, or express your thoughts on this subject through any other creative medium, Khulisa would like to hear from you. Disruptive, creative and innovative contributions are particularly welcome. Get in touch by 7th February with a short abstract of 200-250 words. Find out more on how to contribute here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: a fresh start for the criminal records system

The #FairChecks movement was launched this week by Unlock and Transform Justice, calling for a major review of the legislation on the disclosure of criminal records, so that everybody can achieve their potential. Even a minor criminal history can produce lifelong barriers to employment, volunteering, and housing, many years after people have moved on from their past. If you’d like to see changes to the current criminal records system, you can get involved by tweeting and sharing with your networks, using the hashtag #FairChecks and directing people to the Fairchecks website where they can join the movement and write to their local MP. See the website here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: buddy programme comes to North West

RECOOP is delighted to announce that its Buddy Support Worker Programme is now being delivered in the North West prison group. The programme has been successfully delivered in all three Devon prisons since the enactment of the Care Act 2014. The managed service trains prisoners to National Care Standards (adapted for use in prison) to support other prisoners with health and social care needs. The Buddy Programme went live this month in HMPs Wymott, Preston and Kirkham. Paul Grainge, RECOOP’s Chief Officer said; “working with the North West team has been a pleasure and their commitment to the programme is testament to their professionalism and desire to improve outcomes for prisoners with health and social care needs”. Read more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: boost for prison reading

A new partnership has proved a major boost in spreading the joy of reading between fathers in prison and their children. The StoryBook Dads programme has been run by the library at HMP Lewes, in Sussex, for nine years, and now Lewes Children’s Book Group has supplied funding to help the library enable more children and families supported by the Spurgeons Visitor Centre to take home a wider range of books. This has been further boosted by Lewes bookshop Bags of Books, which is offering books at discounted rates to make the funding stretch further. “This is so important to the children’s education, their emotional wellbeing and to maintaining family ties” said Sam Hart, Spurgeons Family Service Manager at HMP Lewes. Read more here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: the reality of release

Trying to build a stable life after release from prison brings huge challenges. Switchback’s new video #ReleaseRealities features Carl Cattermole, author of Prison: A Survival Guide, and former Switchback Trainee, Pellum, revealing the realities of release and the support prison-leavers need to succeed. Watch it here

CLINKS MEMBER’S NEWS: organisational review

CASS+ is seeking consultancy support to conduct an organisational review. CASS+ is a service which provides advice, ongoing support and signposting to other services for those who are involved in the criminal justice system. It is looking for an external consultant who can undertake a review and offer an external perspective on the current organisational arrangements of CASS+. This person would liaise with a small internal team of trustees, staff and volunteers as key contact points, and undertake the review in early 2020. Please see the Organisational Review document for full details here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: National Probation Service staffing

HM Inspectorate of Probation has published an inspection on the central functions of the National Probation Service (NPS). The report focuses on NPS staffing, highlighting the high number of probation officer vacancies nationally, and the particularly acute staff shortages in London and the South East. This has contributed to high caseloads, with a majority of staff working beyond their capacity. The staff also lacks diversity, with over 70% of the current staff identifying as white women, and a lack of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) staff, especially at management level. The report makes 24 recommendations, including that HM Prison and Probation Service should review its approach to recruitment to address the underrepresentation of BAME and male staff in the workplace. Read the report here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: gender, race and sentencing

The Sentencing Council has published a report into the link between a person’s gender and race and the sentence they receive for drug offences. Based on data about adults sentenced for certain drug offences in England and Wales between 2012 and 2015, the report finds that black, Asian and minority ethnic people were more likely to receive an immediate custodial sentence. In every 100 people, 37 white people were sentenced to immediate custody, compared to around 46 Asian people, and around 44 black people. The Sentencing Council have also published a consultation on sentencing of drug offences, and invites stakeholders to share ideas on tackling the disparities in sentencing highlighted in this report. Read the report and consultation document here

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: youth diversion

The Centre for Justice Innovation (CJI) has published a briefing bringing together evidence on the positive impact of diversion. The briefing points to research that consistently shows that young people who are processed by the justice system have higher rates of re-offending than those who are diverted. CJI therefore advocates for the greater use of youth diversion at the point of arrest, to give young people the chance to avoid formal processing through the courts and a criminal record, and reduce reoffending. The briefing recommends that the Youth Justice Board publishes national guidance on effective, evidence based point-of-arrest diversion practice; and that HMI Probation ensures that their Youth Inspection Framework better reflects the importance of youth diversion to support them in their inspections. Read the briefing here

FUNDING: arts, health and medical welfare

The Anchor Foundation is offering grants between £500 and £10,000 to Christian Charities concerned with social inclusion, particularly through ministries of healing and the arts. The trustees look favourably on organisations whose boards demonstrate equal opportunities. Find out more and apply before 31st January here

FUNDING: safe and secure communities

The Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s Community Safety Development Fund is open for applications. This £300,000 fund offers grants of up to £20,000 for community projects that help to prevent and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in Essex. Apply before 31st January here

FUNDING: arts in the criminal justice system

A grant funding opportunity from HM Prison and Probation Service for “Motivating offenders to participate in the arts” has been launched and can be now be accessed on the Ministry of Justice’s e-Sourcing portal. The grant will be awarded for a maximum of 36 months. The total value of the grant is up to £225,000. To access the relevant grant documents, you will need to register and login to the portal. Once logged in, you should select “ITTs Open to All Suppliers” from the list on the left-hand side of the screen. A list of all ITTs open to suppliers will then appear, you should then select “ITT_4059 - prj_1856 - Strategic Grant - Motivate offenders to participate in the arts 2020 – 2023” from the list. The competition closes at 10 am on 5th February. Login to the portal here

FUNDING: arts, health and medical welfare

The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust funds UK registered charities operating in the fields of the advancement of the arts, health and medical welfare and environmental protection or improvement. The majority of the Trust’s grants are single grants over a one-year period and range between £500 and £5,000. Occasionally longer-term grants (usually up to three years) are agreed by the Trustees when deemed to have particular merit. The Trustees will consider applications for core costs or projects, and they also consider applications for matched funding. Find out more and apply before 6th February here

FUNDING: health and homelessness

Registered charities whose beneficiaries are in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, Surrey and London can apply for funding from The Mount Fund. The Fund has the following priority areas: mental health; homelessness; and health in the community. Grants are given for projects; general running costs/core funding; salaries; advice services; furnishings/equipment; organisational development. Grants are generally up to £5,000, but larger grants of £20,000 are considered for organisations fitting certain criteria. Find out more and apply before 14th February here

NON-MEMBERS’ EVENTS AND TRAINING

PUBLICATION: innovation in probation

The latest Academic Insights paper from HM Inspectorate of Probation is now available to read. In this edition, Chris Fox and Kevin Albertson summarise some of the more influential models of innovation and consider their application to probation policy and practice. The paper sets out the natural links between innovation and approaches which involve co-creation with service users; localised approaches that focus on the development of shared values; and the concepts of evidence-led and evidence-based practice. All the Academic Insights papers can be accessed here

CLINKS MEMBERS’ VACANCIES

Vacancies on the jobs board this week include: Complex Needs Service Manager with Women In Prison [London], Assistant Curriculum Manager with Weston College [HMP Coldingley], Finance Officer (part time) with Geese Theatre [Birmingham], Mentor Volunteer - Prison Release & Reintegration with The Forward Trust [Suffolk], Trustee/Chair with Imagine If Theatre Company [UK Wide], Recovery Worker with EDP Drug & Alcohol Services [HMP Exeter], Offender Resettlement Triage Worker with Shelter [HMP Styal], Engagement Officer with Changing Lives [Cheshire], Assistant Support Coordinator with Nacro [Colchester], BRiC Coordinator - 5 Ways & Forward Leeds with Humankind [Leeds]. For more information about these vacancies, and many more, click here

TIPS OF THE WEEK

  • Tip I: Bella Italia two or three course meal for two. 54% off – from £18.99. Details
  • Tip II: British Sign Language Online Course - Level 1 and 2 - £15.99. Details
  • Tip III: Great British getaways from £59. Details

EXTRA INFORMATION

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